This invention relates generally to heat transfer apparatus, and more specifically to the cooling of an integrated circuit chip.
With the advent of portable, battery operated, personal computers the cooling of integrated circuit chips has become both more critical and more difficult. Desk top computers which are connected to electrical power lines have comparatively unlimited space and power to locate and operate fans for cooling, and they also do not have severe weight restrictions. Portable computers, the so called lap top computers, are, however, very restricted in space, power, and weight, and such restrictions create significant problems in cooling the critical integrated circuits and disposing of the generated heat. At the same time, the number of functions and the power dissipated by individual integrated circuits has significantly increased, so that the problems involved in removing heat have also increased.
Numerous patents have addressed these problems, but most of the devices are very complex and difficult to manufacture so that there are significant possibilities for improvement. Some of the prior art devices integrate the cooling device into a massive assembly which is impractical for use in a lap top computer. Others make no effort to control the contact pressure between the chip and the cooling device, and this can lead to either poor thermal contact or damage to the integrated circuit chip.